How I made a small brick fireplace Chateau worthy
Bespoke Decorative Finishes
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Client wanted to make a statement with her family room with the fireplace. I had a carpenter build out the hearth, build up the mantle and tile the front of the fireplace. After base painting the wood, i created a faux Mahogany wood grained finish. I had the columns custom made and for cost reasons, used plaster capitals which I gilded and antiqued. The final effect was exactly what the client had hoped for.
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Need help with how best to update our inglenook fireplace!
Comments (16)I think it is charming the way it is and if you put some big birch branches or something sculptural in there and some contemporary natural wood pieces or primitive art in the living room, it would all blend together. Please don't take out the windows--that will affect the whole face of the building. Rustic and modern is mixed all the time and can look terrific and give the place a little character. I think the Europeans do it particularly well. You could tone down the mortar with a stain. Unless it is in bad shape, repointing is messy and expensive and tough to do well....See MoreIdeas for my tiny fireplace
Comments (27)Hi mv5869 Thanks for taking the time to offer your suggestions. As it happens I have replaced the fireplace. I am very grateful for all the suggestions people made and they gave me lots of food for thought. I was going to post a photo to show everyone who commented the "after" pictures but was waiting for it to be completely finished so you could see the full effect. I seriously considered a reclaimed Victorian surround and insert but in the end I decided it just wasn't what I wanted. I called in a local specialist and he built me a fireplace with a Bath stone surround and black slate slips and hearth. We in put a gas insert fire. I absolutely love it. The natural materials are gorgeous and in my opinion the design is contemporary but classic. I can turn the fire on when I get in from work (usually late) and I really enjoy the fire every day at the moment. It wasn't a cheap solution but after years of fretting about this I have exactly what I wanted. I will try and add a link to the specialist in a minute. As you can see I took up the carpet and sanded down and varnished the original boards. A few boards needed replacing but a local reclamation yard was able to supply reclaimed boards. The pine came up quite bright but I like it! I also had bookshelves built in on the right and painted white. Thanks so much for suggesting this it looks amazing. I am in the process of reinstating some of my possessions but trying to be selective about what I put back. It just takes time to sort it all out. I went for what I thought was a neutral colour on the walls but it turned out to have a slight orangey tint. I am happy with it. The new sofas are orange so I haven't lost my strong colours altogether! there will be a rug as well so when it is all in place I will post another picture of the finished effect. Tim Davis Stone and Fire...See MoreNeed help with what to do with fireplace.
Comments (40)Hi again! For anyone that's interested, I have finally managed to have a go at my varnished stone fireplace and am pretty happy with the results… It's not perfect but makes a huge difference in terms of light in the room and cost me next to nothing! I used a tiny bit of annie sloan paint to dull and lighten the stone - my mum sent me leftovers of 'paris grey' that she had used on some furniture. The link I had found which described the painting process belonged to an artist, so I was aware that my results would differ quite drastically from hers, but I'm still happy! I also had a new mantlepiece made from old planks that my boyfriend has had stashed away for years - a carpenter we often use put it together for the equivalent of about US$10. We don't own the house so I haven't waxed the paint on the stone (meaning it can be washed off with water and a light scrub) and the new mantlepiece is literally slotted on top of the old one and discreetly screwed in place. It is no huge home improvement project but made a big difference to the feel of the room using minimal time, money and mess… Now just the rest of the room to decorate…!...See MoreTransforming small reception into a snug
Comments (15)No big TV! I know what my OH would say to that He couldn’t wait to get the big ass latest 4K tv. It would be a shame to lose the fireplace as it is a nice feature ( I’ve got nothing against traditional features) but if you have a nice one elsewhere in the house and this room is primarily for tv viewing then I’d be tempted to lose it. If you leave a small opening of the fire place you could do like Resh said and have a small gel burner, candles or some logs with fairy lights. Or maybe stash the AV equipment in there and cover with fire screen in front, back lit with orange Led lights so it kind of looks like a fire but isn’t. Dark colour walls sound fab, my only problem is I think the radiator will stick out like a sore thumb, so either paint it same colour as the walls, cover it, or maybe replace with one of them fancy Victorian style column radiators....See More- PRO
Bespoke Decorative Finishes
9 years ago - PRO
Bespoke Decorative Finishes
9 years ago 
Iona
9 years agoHI Bespoke Decorative Finishes, well, here goes - it's not posh, cos my house is not posh, (ancient and decrepit farmhouse, still undergoing major work) but here is a pic from about 5 mins ago. It's a bit untidy, but then so am I! But hopefully you get the idea.
hillary59
9 years agohillary59
9 years ago- PRO
Bespoke Decorative Finishes
9 years ago Iona
9 years ago
Emmeline Westin